Ohio Amish Mother Ruth Miller Drowns Son, Says She Gave Him to God
Amish Mother Drowns Son and Herself in Ohio Lake During Alleged Religious Delusion
Disturbing bodycam video footage reveals a tragic incident involving Ruth Miller, an Amish mother, who admitted to police that she drowned her 4-year-old son in an Ohio lake, claiming she “gave him to God” and that “the end is near.” The footage also shows her expressing her spiritual beliefs and delusions related to her actions.
On August 23, authorities responded after a 911 call about a golf cart driven into Atwood Lake with a woman and three children aboard. Bodycam recordings depict Miller, 40, being escorted by her two adult sons, during which she calmly states she is not “crazy” for her actions. She insists she “gave her son to God,” adding that her motivations stem from her faith and beliefs about the approaching end times.
Miller elaborates to officers that she doubted God multiple times but now feels compelled to warn others that “He’s coming very soon” and that she believes her son is now “with God.” When asked about her husband, Marcus J. Miller, she claims he went on a walk that morning and will “never come back,” asserting that he was swallowed by a fish in the lake, a reference to her spiritual delusions.
Later, she is seen praying with a paramedic, having drowned her son and herself. Investigators later recovered their bodies submerged at the lake’s bottom, according to authorities. A witness reported seeing the child alive near the water at 6:30 a.m., before the tragic event unfolded.
It is believed Miller and her husband, also experiencing hallucinations and believing they were testing their faith, intentionally jumped into the lake during a spiritual crisis. Her husband, Marcus Miller, is said to have returned to the water afterward, attempting the “test of faith” alone before both were found dead later that day.
Miller was initially hospitalized for her mental state but later transferred to jail. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges including two counts of aggravated murder, domestic violence, and child endangerment. Her trial is scheduled for September 25, with her defense team asserting her mental illness may explain her actions.